Skipping rocks
by torete
Summary: The little girl tugged knowingly at her hair and shyly added, “Yours means weasel right?”
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**-X-**

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His gaze followed a dragonfly hovering by his leg then started to passively observe the lake which mirrored the cerulean sky above. Having nothing else new to see he eyed the tiny rocks at his feet, he crouched down and began collecting flat pieces of rocks that he could find.

When he had collected about a handful he stood by the edge of the lake and started juggling the rocks in his hands. He continued doing this until he decided to start throwing it into the lake. The rock managed to skip five times in the placid surface before it sank.

He was about to throw another one when a strange sound caused his hand to pause in midair. He turned his head around to see a little girl standing by a huge boulder a few yards away. He casts an unconcerned look momentarily before he recognized her.

The girl froze on the spot, suddenly feeling very awkward. She never really liked bothering people.

"I'm sorry…" she suddenly blurts out, "…I'll just go away now."

He resumed his activity and quietly said, "It's alright if you stay. I don't mind."

She stood reluctant for a while and continued watching him throw rocks on the water's surface.

"You go to school with my little brother, right?"

"Yes"

She recognized the older boy because she sometimes sees him picking up Sasuke after school.

He did not speak to her after that and just continued to obsessively throw rocks on the water.

The girl was fascinated to see the rocks skipping across the lake's surface. It looked really fun; it kind of reminded her of grasshoppers. She decided to give it a try but she only managed a single plop on the water's surface. Crestfallen she glances at the boy beside her only to find him walking away.

She bit her lip in disappointment. "A-are you leaving already?"

He paused. "I ran out of rocks" he said crouching down as he began picking up pieces of rocks from the ground.

The girl slowly walked towards him and waited.

After he collected another handful he raised his gaze and found himself staring to a pair of startling green eyes.

"Could you teach me… how to make rocks skip like grasshoppers?"

The girl was puzzled then became apprehensive when he only stared at her, and did not saying anything for the next 30 seconds.

"Did I say something wrong?" the girl asked nervously.

He almost smiled but only allowed himself to blink back.

"Sure. I'll teach you. I'm Itachi by the way."

"I'm Sakura."

"…Your name suits you."

The little girl tugged knowingly at her hair and shyly added, "Yours means weasel right?"

He smiled. "Yeah… it does."

**--**

**Note: ... **I still have my fire extinguisher ready...just you know.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**-X-**

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The young girl slowly walked on the road not really wanting to go home just yet. Her small face carried a serious expression that seems so out of place for a seven year old. Her green eyes were trained to the ground, which was covered with slightly withered grass. Warm rays of sun were beating down on her back and were casting an elongated shadow before her.

He wasn't at the lake this afternoon; as a matter of fact she hadn't seen him for six days now. He must be away on a mission she concluded. She stopped on her tracks suddenly, distracted from her thoughts, as she caught sight of the myriad of flowers blooming in the meadow.

She sauntered towards the place, appreciating the medley of colored flowers, and the floral scent that pervaded the air. A white flower caught her eye and she seated herself comfortably on the ground before it.

Cutting it from its stem she placed it before her nose, it had a sweet almost nonexistent smell. Taking it away from her face, she twirled it before her, carefully inspecting it. Satisfied she then started to carefully select flowers resembling the first one she had picked out, which she delicately weaved together to form a wreath, carefully recalling how exactly it was shown to her by her best friend.

The girl paused for a moment, concentration broken, when a strange yet familiar feeling diverted her attention. Someone was approaching behind her. She relaxed upon recognition and smiled. She could tell it was him. It wasn't because he was loud rather it was because his pace was silent just like a cat's and he had a certain presence that made him stood out from the rest. A presence that she can only describe as something alien and familiar.

She continued on with her work and the boy remained standing, quietly observing her. After a few quick moments, she finally finished weaving the flowers, and turned to look up at the older boy.

"I'm going to visit my father today, will you come with me?"

She laid the wreath on top the memorial stone, put her hands together and prayed. It became a habit to visit the family grave once every week, even though she would feel sad after every visit.

The wind started to chill and black birds could be seen flying off in the horizon as the receding rays of the sun stained everything in orange and red. The older boy shifted his gaze from the grave stone to the little girl praying beside him.

When the girl finished praying he spoke. "It's getting dark, I'll walk you home."

The older boy clasped his much larger hand around her impossibly small one. She felt herself being pulled up from her kneeling position. His hand was warm, calloused and rough from years of wielding weapons, and his scent, he somehow smelled faintly of blood.

It's eerie that it is only now she sees how much this boy seems to resemble her father, from his rough hands to his scent and even his quiet personality.

Just like her father, a shinobi whose duty is to serve and protect their village. Her little hand unconsciously tighten its grip onto his, fearing the inevitable. There is no denying it; there will come a day that he too will be taken away from her. The on going war between the rival villages had already taken many lives, and it will take countless more.

She kept her eyes on the ground which became more and more blurred with each pace she took. Her eyes started to sting and itch as a painful lump started to swell on her throat.

She was a very sensitive and delicate child, much too attuned to her surroundings, which usually leads her to be overwhelm by her emotions, and often she finds it impossible to hold back, especially right now.

He thought he heard a strange hiccupping sound and he looks down at the little girl beside him. The child had her head bowed, her pink locks obscuring her face. He crouched down to her height and gently asked what was wrong.

The girl turned her head away and buried her face behind her hands. He asked once more what was wrong, but she only shook her head as she continued to hide her tears.

She desperately wants to tell him what was wrong, but only found it hard to speak. Her words got choked in her throat that only strangled sobs could be heard.

At a loss of what to do, the boy picked her up in his arms and murmured comforting words as he carried her to her home.

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**Note: **To be continued…I hope


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Note: **Edited this chapter because the first one was a mess. Well…I hope that this one is _less _of a mess. T.T

**-X-**

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Sakura listlessly sat on a stone bench underneath an old tree. Her eyes followed a string of children going out of the academy's gate to head home. In the distance she could see parents expectantly waiting for their respective children to meet them.

The girl sighed to herself. There would be no one to pick her up. Her mother expected her to get home by herself. Of course she knew the way home, it was just… it wasn't the same.

She opened her bag and inspected its contents. It was all there, she had not forgotten anything. Before she usually forgets her books on her desk and upon arriving home her mother would then scold her for being so careless with her things.

Slowly she slung her bag on her shoulders and began walking towards the gate. Someone called out her name from somewhere behind her. Then everything went dark as something warm covered her eyes. Startled, she instinctively tried to pry the hands away from her eyes, but stopped when she heard that distinct giggle.

"Ino I know it's you," the hands dropped and immediately she found herself constricted in a hug by her friend.

They walked hands swinging back and forth. Ino, cheerful as always, started recounting to Sakura all the peculiar habits she had observed from Sasuke. Sakura listened not missing the peculiar way her friend was smiling.

At times she found it irritating that all her friend could talk about lately was that boy. But for the most part, it was entertaining. Ino had the talent of turning any mundane event into something very amusing.

Sakura was laughing as they neared the gate; it had something to do about obsessions with tomatoes, but unfortunately Ino have to cut her story short. Ino disengaged her hand from Sakura, waved good-bye and met her father outside.

Sakura turned the opposite direction, started her own way home.

The streets were unusually jam-packed today. She had to dodge every adult that passed by her to avoid being toppled. Annoyingly, the left strap of her bag slipped from her shoulder for the second time. Pausing to adjust it a huge man suddenly brushed passed her.

She almost fell over but regained her balance quickly enough. Narrowly missing the stampede of men that came rushing after, trying to keep up with the huge man. It wasn't hard to tell who they were—if only by their outfits, but it was odd to find a lot of shinobi together roaming about the streets. It's rare for them to be amongst the civilian population in such alarming number.

Finally losing interest at the receding shinobi, Sakura scowled as she brushed the dirt off her bag. Luckily she managed to save it in time from becoming a flattened pancake. Strapping back her bag with a huff she resolutely dived into the crowd. And never mind about stepping on someone's bloody toes, all she wants now is to get out of this crowded street as fast as she can.

Thirty-five minutes later she stood blinking as she read the street sign. She read the sign again. The words didn't change as she hoped it would. Alarm sirens started wailing in her head. Frantic, she looked wildly about her for anything familiar.

Her heart sank significantly. This was definitely an unknown territory. She was lost and it was all her fault for being so hasty, for not paying attention to where exactly she was going, and why had she not asked that kind looking lady previously for directions?

A hot prickling sensation started around her eyes. But she stubbornly shut her eyes tight, angry at herself for feeling pathetic, and furiously wiped her eyes dry. With great effort she began retracing her steps, trying to recall places and familiar land marks as she went along.

Her spirit soared when she saw a familiar run-down building near a vacant lot. It used to be a playground. She headed towards it with a cheerful gait, but abruptly halted when she saw something lurking within the slanting shadow of the building.

She first heard a snarl before a dark menacing creature stepped out of the shadows. Sakura instantly grew pale. It was by all account a monster of a dog. It didn't look too happy to see her, with its huge bared teeth, and by the way it was foaming at the mouth—and—and did its eyes just glow crimson?!

It took an ominous step forward.

Sakura nervously took a step back.

She didn't know when her legs had move and she couldn't care less. The wind was already roaring in her ears when she began to be fully aware that she was already running desperately down the twisting alleyways. The Monster Dog still hot on her heels.

Already pushed beyond their limit it wasn't long before her legs and her lungs began screaming at her but went unheeded. Then strangely colors started to melt and dance before her eyes. For a fleeting second she thought she saw a bright red orange spark flickered before it exploded. A shock of hot wind blew over her head, followed by an unmistakable sound of searing flesh and sharp yelp of pain.

Still blindly running, her face unexpectedly connected with something soft yet hard at the same time. She almost fell back until two strong hands held firm to her slim shoulders to steady her.

"Are you all right?" she recognized the voice but all she could see was a hazy shadow before her vision finally cleared. Never before in her young life had she been so happy to see a person until now. But euphoria was then replaced with fear. She whipped her head around in panic.

"The dog it—" her frantic voice faltered when she saw nothing but a vacant street behind her.

"It's gone now," he explained. Overcome with great relief her legs finally collapsed beneath her in cataplexy.

Itachi decided it best to travel on top of the roofs to avoid the congested streets and it was the fastest and the safest route—if you didn't count falling—to the little girl's house. He then felt Sakura stir on his back as he landed in front of her house.

"Please don't tell my Mother what happened…" her voice was just barely above whisper but he heard her nonetheless, "…I don't want her getting worried about me."

He set her down on her feet and nodded in understanding. He started to go but stopped when he felt a gentle tug on his shirt. As he turned around he saw a curious play of expression on the girl's face.

"What is it?" he asked puzzled as he bent down so they were eye to eye.

"I just wanted to say thanks," There was a pause. It seemed she wanted to say something more but then hesitated. Patiently he waited for her to continue. Then, without warning, she gave him a fierce hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

There was a delayed reaction of surprise from the boy when the girl had finally disappeared inside her house. A certain strange feeling drifted on the surface but he dismissed it as fast as it had come. He shook his head once before his face took on the usual stoic expression. He started for the Hokage Tower. He was already late as it is.

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**Note**: I wish I knew where this story is going T,T


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